AWS Partner Network (APN) Blog

Updated AWS Quick Start for Tableau Server Now Supports Linux

By Kitty Chou, Manager, Product Management at Tableau
By Vaidy Krishnan, Manager, Product Marketing at Tableau

AWS Quick StartsWe are excited to add Linux support to our AWS Quick Start for Tableau Server on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This Quick Start automatically deploys Tableau Server in a standalone or cluster environment on the AWS cloud, and now you can deploy on Linux in addition to Microsoft Windows Server.

In 2017, we launched the AWS Quick Start for Tableau Server that is built on AWS best practices for security and availability. Customers can launch, configure, and run the services required to deploy Tableau Server on AWS—all at the click of a launch button. With this update, customers now have the ability to deploy on Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) running two different flavors of Linux.

AWS Quick Starts are automated reference deployments that use AWS CloudFormation templates to deploy key technologies on AWS and follow AWS best practices. Tableau is an AWS Partner Network (APN) Advanced Technology Partner with AWS Competencies in both Big Data and Mobile.

See the updated AWS Quick Start for Tableau Server >>

About the Update

This Quick Start uses AWS CloudFormation templates to install one of the following architectures:

  • Standalone Architecture: Installs Tableau Server into your default VPC on an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) m4.4xlarge instance running Microsoft Windows Server, CentOS, or Ubuntu Server.
  • Cluster Architecture: Installs Tableau Server into a new or existing VPC on at least three Amazon EC2 m4.4xlarge instances running Microsoft Windows Server, CentOS, or Ubuntu Server. This option builds an AWS environment with VPC, subnets, network address translation (NAT) gateways, security groups, bastion host, and other components.

Why Did We Add Linux Support?

We’ve heard how deploying Tableau Server on Linux helps customers both lower the overall cost of ownership and open up Tableau to a developer population that seeks greater control and security. Increasingly, we’re seeing companies move away from on-premises deployments to AWS. Since most of the operating systems on AWS are a version of Linux, we wanted to create a frictionless path for customers to deploy Tableau Server on AWS—and do it with support for Linux.

First Reactions: A Conversation with AWS Certified Architect Jonathan McDonald

To gauge initial feedback about the momentum of our AWS Quick Start update, we spoke to Jonathan MacDonald, a seasoned Tableau consultant and AWS Certified Solutions Architect with The Information Lab, a Tableau Gold Partner. Jonathan helps enterprises deploy and scale Tableau Server in the cloud.

Interviewer: Can you tell us what kind of feedback you’ve been receiving from clients regarding the Tableau Server on Linux launch?

Jonathan: We are seeing a huge amount of interest in the Linux release from our clients, who have already moved over or are in the process of transitioning over from the Windows version. While some of our clients are (and always will be) Windows shops, a lot of our other clients prefer to take a hybrid approach, using Windows/Mac for their PC/laptops and Linux for server infrastructure. And for almost all our new Tableau clients, we’re seeing a Linux-first approach to Tableau Server.

Interviewer: How does this fit in to the overall trend of companies shifting to the cloud?

Jonathan: In addition to the Linux uptake, there is also a growing movement to put infrastructure in the cloud. I recently had five conversations with separate clients about deploying Tableau Server on AWS. These range from the smaller single-server installs, right through to the larger cluster installs for big enterprise deployments.

Interviewer: What are some of the biggest benefits of this updated AWS Quick Start?

Jonathan: The beauty of the AWS CloudFormation templates and Quick Starts is that you can automate the deployment of Tableau Server on any scale in a fast, repeatable way. I spent the last week helping a customer that provides data and analytics to the financial services sector build out a CloudFormation script. This script would not only deploy their Tableau Server, but also configure it to add users automatically, talk to their SAML IdP, install and configure TabPy (python server for Tableau), and set up housekeeping scripts to automatically backup and maintain the server.

They are also looking at ways to automatically scale processes and worker nodes during peak load times. The ready-made AWS tools that Tableau has provided make this fast and accessible to mainstream IT sysadmins, where previously this was restricted to highly-skilled DevOps specialists who would take days to write scripts from scratch.

To get started with the AWS Quick Start for Tableau Server:

Contact Tableau

If you would like to see how Tableau can help transform your business, please contact Tableau Software >>

Quick Start Architecture

Tableau Server on AWS

Figure 1 – This Quick Start uses AWS CloudFormation templates to install either a standalone or cluster architecture.